Chinese Toggle Depicting Taotie Mask

Flat, chipped slab stares out with two round eyes and a small rectangular mouth.

This toggle depicting taotie mask is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is jade. Many toggles carried auspicious symbols drawn from wordplay, so a monkey, whose word can sound like the word for Marquis, suggested high rank, and a carp suggested success in civil service examinations. Cream and rust in color, the broad flat plate has clipped corners and a notched lower edge. Two ringed eyes and a faint brow are drawn in dark lines, with a slot below. Small drilled holes run along the top, and the edges are chipped. It is 2.5 inches wide, 4 deep and 0.25 high.

The expression is blank, and somehow that makes it more persuasive.